TREDYFFRIN Ė All charges, including murder in the first degree, were held for trial following a preliminary hearing Wednesday for a 24-year-old Collegeville man accused of fatally shooting a friend inside a Malvern apartment last month.

Merritt Dudas was arrested on homicide and related charges after the body of 21-year-old Drew Ferguson was discovered on Nov. 18 inside an apartment in the 200 block of Miner Street in Malvern. According to authorities, Fergusonís body was wrapped in a tarp and sleeping bag before it was hidden inside a large ďbean bag sofaĒ inside the apartment.

Ferguson died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to testimony at Wednesdayís hearing at Devonís district court.

Dudas, who entered the packed courtroom in shackles and wearing prison clothing, spent most of the hearing with his head bent over the table in front of him as witnesses described the discovery of Fergusonís body and the trail of evidence that led to Dudasí arrest. Several of the defendantís family members and the victimís stepfather were asked to leave the room prior to the hearing, as they could be called as witnesses at trial.

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Assistant Public Defender Kelly Thompson, Dudasí attorney, entered a plea of not guilty on the defendantís behalf at the beginning of the hearing.

Chester County Detective Gary Lynch, the first witness called by prosecutors Wednesday, said he was called to the Malvern home that Ferguson shared with his grandmother to investigate a report of a missing person. Lynch testified that he and Malvern Police Chief Louis Marcelli entered the apartment, which sits over a detached garage, after noticing what appeared to be a bullet hole in a second story window.

Lynch said there were numerous signs of a struggle as the investigators entered the apartment. Several dents lined the walls leading up to the apartmentís door. The doorís lock was broken and lay on the floor, Lynch said, indicating forced entry.

Once inside the apartment, Lynch said he found three bullet holes, a spent .380 shell casing, blood stains and splatter patterns. At the center of the room was a large bean bag-type sofa with a sleeping bag protruding from it. Lynch said he reached inside and felt legs, then a head.

ďThatís when I told the chief that we had a crime scene, cleared the room, and notified the district attorneyís office and the rest of the Chester County Detectives,Ē Lynch said.

The body was identified as Ferguson, and investigators quickly determined that several of his possessions, including his wallet, cellphone and car, were missing.

Several days later investigators executed a search warrant at a home in the 100 block of Russell Circle in Collegeville, where Dudas was reportedly staying with his girlfriend and her family.

According to testimony from Chester County Detective Ken Beam, the first thing investigators noticed after arriving at the home was Fergusonís white Honda Civic parked outside. After they entered the home, Beam said, investigators found the rest of Fergusonís possessions.

Inside Dudasí makeshift bedroom in the homeís basement, investigators found Fergusonís wallet, cell phone and keys. They also found a Ruger handgun and two spent .380 shell casings, Beam said. The owner of the house, the father of Dudasí girlfriend, told investigators that a Ruger handgun, chambered in .380, had recently gone missing from a safe inside the home, according to Beamís testimony.

After his arrest, Dudas was interviewed by members of the Chester County Detectives. According to testimony from Detective Robert Balchunis, during the interview Dudas confessed to shooting Ferguson three times, including the fatal shot to the head. Dudas also admitted to hiding Fergusonís body, Balchunis testified.

During the hearing, prosecutors also added charges of access device fraud and theft by deception, submitting several receipts found in Fergusonís car for purchases made with his bank card after his death. According to testimony from Chester County Detective Joseph Nangle, in the days following Fergusonís death, Dudas repeatedly used the victimís bank card to make purchases at PetsMart, Wegmans, CVS, and Wawa.

Dudasí defense did not call any witnesses or present any evidence at Wednesdayís hearing.

Magisterial District Judge Thomas Tartaglio ruled that all charges would be held for trial in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Dudas faces charges of murder, robbery, theft, and abuse of a corpse. He was denied bail and will remain in Chester County Prison until trial.

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